Early methods of lancing included piercing or slicing the skin with a needle or razor. Current methods utilize lancet drivers that contain a multitude of spring, cam and mass actuators to drive the lancet. These include cantilever springs, diaphragms, coil springs, as well as gravity plumbs to actuate the lancet. Typically, the device is pre-cocked, or the user cocks the device. The device is held against the skin and the user mechanically triggers the ballistic launch of the lancet.
The problem with current devices is that they require two hands to operate, one to hold the device and push a button which activates the device, and the other hand to provide a finger for lancing. After lancing, the finger needs to be free to move to another device for collection of the blood droplet and subsequent analysis.
Generally, known methods of blood sampling require several steps. First, a measurement session is set up by gathering various paraphernalia such as lancets, launchers, test strips, instrument, etc. Second, the patient must assemble the paraphernalia by loading a sterile lancet, loading a test strip, and arming the launcher.
Third, the patient must place their finger against the lancet launcher and using the other hand activate the launcher. Fourth, the patient must put down the launcher and place the bleeding finger against a test strip, which may or may not have been loaded into the instrument. The patient must insure blood has been loaded onto the test strip and the instrument has been calibrated prior to such loading. Finally, the patient must dispose of all the blood contaminated paraphernalia including the lancet. What has been needed is a blood sampling device and method that simplifies the blood sampling procedure.